Response from EA about the NBA Live 07 bugs.

by **---** on Wed Oct 04, 2006 11:27 pm

I didnt email. Go to www.easports.com then to support, make an account, send your message, and within a couple of days check that message again ad they will have written their answer above what you wrote. I suggest you don't open your packaging :wink:

by **rainmajer** on Wed Oct 04, 2006 11:43 pm

yeah me too, i'd have to agree their customer support is lousy.
it's like talking to a machine, i gave up.
I've been trying to communicate nicely about the bugs and issues that I'm having, but to no avail... I just gave up. here's our correspondence if you're interested.

I wrote:

In offense, when pressing the direct pass button, the Dunk and Layup buttons are mislabeled and/or have been switched. passing either one will pass to the other player.

How does a major bug like this get through your QA?
I've been able to see through the minor qualms in the previous lives. but this is really a major bug. And I hope you can release a patch or help me out. I've looked in the forums and it seems I'm not the only one having this problem.

Pls get back to me asap. Thanks

Tech Support replies:

Hello,

Thanks for contacting EA Technical Support and for your interest with the NBA Live 07! I’m sorry for the difficulty that you are having with the game. Are you using a controller?

The key to making sure a game will work on your computer is making sure your computer meets the minimum requirements. This means not only meeting the physical hardware requirements, but the software requirements as well.

Please make sure that you have closed any programs or tasks running in the background as sometimes one of the programs can conflict with the game. Background applications such as anti-virus programs are often the cause of conflicts.

· Hold down the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys at the same time
· Click the "Processes" tab.
· Click on the gray bar in the middle column that says User Name to sort by user name.
· Do NOT select anything for SYSTEM, LOCAL SERVICE, or NETWORK SERVICE.
· Click on anything besides EXPLORER and TASKMGR for this User Name or other user names.
· Click on END PROCESS
· Repeat these steps until only explorer.exe and taskmgr.exe are open for this user profile.

Don't worry that you are permanently changing your system configuration; these applications will return when you restart your system.
If you receive a warning for any of these, don't worry it is a standard warning message and is expected. Please click "yes" and continue.

In order to best troubleshoot your issue, I'm going to need additional system information. Please send me this information from a program called dxdiag.exe. To do this:

· Go to Start -> Run.
· In the box, type the following: dxdiag
· Click "OK"
· Click the "Save All Information" button on the first screen of the application.
· Then on top of the "Save As" box that pops up, select Desktop (if it's not set to save there already), then click Save.
· Finally, attach the dxdiag.txt to your email reply.

After we receive this file we can continue troubleshooting the issues at hand and hopefully come to a solution.

Should you require further assistance about this or any Electronic Arts games in the future please visit our web site and review our extensive Self Help knowledge base (http://support.ea.com).

I submitted my dxdiag summary and wrote

Hi,

Yes, I'm using a controller that I have been using on nbalive since nba live 2004.

I've removed all background applications in the instructions and still no luck. I'm assuming that your version on your pc works just fine? The direct pass to Dunk and Layup player is not switched?

Further, Tapping the Direct Pass button to execute Last Man Back also doesn't work. When I tap it, the player's labels (i.e dunk, layup, shoot, pass) are shown and remain shown until you either press the Direct Pass button again or press one of the shortcut buttons (dunk/layup/shoot/pass)

Also, switching players during inbound doesn't work. THe manual says press the right analog key.

And another question, is the DIrect Pass + Pass button really remapped to the Center position?

Anyways, here is my dxdiag summary. Hoping all this can be fixed.

They reply

Hello,

Thanks for contacting EA Technical Support and for your interest with the NBA Live 07! I’m sorry for the difficulty that you are having with your controller.

When a controller fails to function in a game, and it is supported by the game, it is typically a conflict with the way the controller was setup in the system. There are several steps you can take to troubleshoot this issue.

First and foremost, make sure that the game actually supports controllers. Some games that you would think should support controllers don’t. If controllers are not listed in the minimum requirements, then they are not supported.

Supported Game Controllers:

Logitech Cordless Rumblepad™2
Logitech Rumblepad™
Logitech Dual Action™ Gamepad
Logitech Cordless Rumblepad™
Saitek p880 Rumble Pad
Thrust Master Dual Trigger 2-in-1 Dual Analog Gamepad
Thrust Master Rechargeable Wireless 2-in-1 dual trigger
Thrust Master 2-in-1 Dual Trigger Gamepad
Thrust Master Wireless Dual trigger Gamepad
Thrust Master Firestorm Dual Power 3
Thrust Master Firestorm Wireless controller
Xbox 360(tm) Controller for Windows(r)

Since controllers, by their nature, are usually tugged or pulled during use, check the connections of the controller. Make sure it is securely fastened.

Make sure the controller is calibrated properly in Windows. Some games do not have their own setup for controller and use the default Windows setup.
Click here for instructions on calibrating your controller.
http://eatech.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/eate ... sid%20?%3e

If the controller has their own application used to control the device then try two things.
Try recalibrating it in the controller application.
Try disabling the controller application so the default Windows calibration takes over.

Unless the game is a multiple controller game, having multiple controllers installed can cause conflicts.
Make sure all other controllers are unplugged from the machine before starting the system.
If they are still causing conflicts try uninstalling the drivers for those controllers.

Check for controller updates on the website of the controller manufacturer. These updates can sometimes resolve certain conflicts.

If the controller is a USB device other USB devices may be sending signals to the game as well. This is most common in older games.
Make sure all other non-essential USB devices are unplugged.

If the game has a controller setup in the Options menu, go ahead and manually configure your controller inside the game.

Although rare, it is possible that a program running in the background is interfering with proper controller usage.
Click here for instructions on ending your background tasks.
http://eatech.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/eate ... sid%20?%3e

Should you require further assistance about this or any Electronic Arts games in the future please visit our website and review our extensive Self Help knowledgebase (http://support.ea.com).

This time i'm pissed

Hi,

can you confirm if in your version of nbalive 07 that the direct pass labels on the Dunk and Layup player are not switched? Do they pass to the right player?

and the lamest answer ever

Hello,

I'm sorry for the difficulty that you are having in playing the game.

You have reached technical support; we have no gameplay information that we can offer to assist you. As technical support is mainly concerned with troubleshooting technical issues, such as the game will not load, etc. You may want to surf the web and check out some of the major video game sites as they usually offer codes and gameplay hints for EA games. Major resources for Hints and Tips are http://www.gamespot.com, http://www.ign.com and http://www.gamefaqs.com. Also, newsgroups are a good source of information as hardcore gamers often message each other back and forth in these forums. http://forums.easports.com/mboards/index.jspa?sls=2

The game has new features and you can find it in game. At the main menu, open the what’s new option and click on gameplay next to know about the new features of the game.

Should you require further assistance about this or any Electronic Arts games in the future please visit our web site and review our extensive Self Help knowledge base (http://support.ea.com).

i'm hoping that someone from the community could help us.
i'm going to the garden to eat worms...

by **chitovf** on Wed Oct 04, 2006 11:46 pm

I have not purchased NBA LIVE 07 yet. Tell me of reasons, if ever, why I should buy this game.

Meanwhile, I'll stick to 06 until EA sorts out the mess.

by **mrtistrm** on Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:00 am

They sell crap, the talk crap, and now they answer ur email in crap too.

by **ajsimpson** on Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:06 am

Ok... This is one good comedy... :lol:

]

Are you blind all?.. EA doesn't give a fuck about it's customers. And why should they?.. There are theese people who say "oh no, support EA, Live is not very good (actually it's a total piece of shit), but it's still a good game... Yeah, who cares, maybe next year they will not even make a new NBA Live game and just change the IMG files to say NBA Live 08. And there will be some people, who will say: 'Hey the game is almost like the previous one, but be gentle to those people, its hard to make computer games...

Well this shit is like russian propaganda... EA representatives don't let you quote their letters, they don't let you post their contact details, and you play along... So be it, the shit gone too far the game is totaly unplayable... And I was hopping that one day, EA will do something like this... Those guys started releasing bugged, unrealistic, fun-to-play, no-time-worth games...

There will be no patch at all... Why?.. Because there are people buying the game... They are making fun of you guys, those geeks sit in their wide chairs and eat donuts laughing at you right now... A patch can fix a minor problem, such as bad one room lightning effects in a FPS, or a little lack of triger area in RTS, but not a totaly fucked up gameplay in a sports sim... Well, it's not a sim, it's a biggest unrealistic piece of junk the world has seen ever!..

And when there will be people, who say we should play the most fucked up sport sim ever, just because it's hard to make computer games, and the gentleman sounded nice (when he, actually doesn't give a fuck about your issues, and guarantees to fix them somehow and sometime), EA continualy will not give a shit about those people who have all the series from 95, or who recommended this game to their friends and helped the company to earn more money...

And the customer support is just terrific, some pre-writed letters to be send to you...

by **J@3** on Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:30 am

There will be no patch at all... Why?.. Because there are people buying the game...

(EA) Company stock nosed down nearly 3 percent to $54.21 in recent trading, but at least one analyst says the slip has nothing to do with DICE. “The stock is down on NBA Live getting lousy reviews,” said video game analyst Michael Pachter

by **Jam** on Thu Oct 05, 2006 1:47 am

The problem is in your game you fool EA Sports not with our controllers, running programs etc. Are these guys clever enough to work at EA? If they are I can be the General Manager of the company.

by **Christopherson** on Thu Oct 05, 2006 3:32 am

What do you people honestly expect them to write back? Do you expect them to send you an email that says: "I'm sorry you don't like your shitty product. We were lazy when we made it?" You have to understand that the people answering your emails are the producers of the game or anything. They are'nt the CEO of the company. It just some dude behind his desk that probably has a list of things he is supposed to say when certain questions are asked. It's not the guy who replied back to you's fault that the game sucks. He isn't the person making the patch. Just lay off these guys a little bit. Their product is shoddy. So what. Dont buy it. If you already did, convince your friends not to buy it, and dont buy it next year. At this point we just have to sit back and wait and hope EA releases a patch. Other than that, we can rely on the awesome patches that our own community puts out year after year. Personally, I think this year's version is a bug fix or two away from being one of the best versions of the game ever.

by **brojaf** on Thu Oct 05, 2006 3:39 am

I am having trouble understanding current gen and next gen. I thought that just referred to the consoles. Are you guys trying to tell me that the xbox 360 and PS are more powerful than the PC. I would think that a PC would be a next gen as it is constantly evolving and becoming more technologically advanced even as I type.

by **benji** on Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:06 am

baldus_2004 wrote:They are'nt the CEO of the company.

Most people are e-mailing Support...but some of us have contacted the COO of EA Canada...

by **ajsimpson** on Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:47 am

brojaf wrote:I am having trouble understanding current gen and next gen. I thought that just referred to the consoles. Are you guys trying to tell me that the xbox 360 and PS are more powerful than the PC. I would think that a PC would be a next gen as it is constantly evolving and becoming more technologically advanced even as I type.

actually consoles became more technologically advanced than PC's quite long ago, XBOX started it, and then came PS2. Those console procesors are more powerfull, and video cards are true monsters...

by **benji** on Thu Oct 05, 2006 5:02 am

Well, I certainly would never say that. The XBOX is just a PIII and GeForce 3 inside. The X360 has roughly a X1900XTX equivalent inside it and the Core Duo apparently outperforms the Xenon.

by **el badman** on Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:13 am

I contacted EA, even though I knew it'd be pretty useless given the answers that they sent so far and the petition that has already been sent to them, but I thought I'd give it a try, and here's what they replied:

Response (Bryce C.) 10/05/2006 12:47 AM
Thanks for writing us at Electronic Arts Technical Support. I'm truly sorry for the inconveniences this has caused you. Please understand that appropriate teams are already looking into the issue and hopefully a patch will be released soon. We are very sorry for any inconvenience.
Again, I am truly sorry for the inconvenience, please be assured that we are doing our best to solve your issue as soon as possible.
Should you require further assistance with this game or other Electronic Arts games in the future, please visit our website and review our extensive Self Help knowledgebase at (http://support.ea.com/).
Thank you,
Bryce C.
EA Technical Support "

My message to them was the following:
"I'm sure you've already received plenty of emails regarding NBA Live 07 for PC. Well, this is one of them.
I know I will probably get an automatic answer saying "we are sorry you are having trouble with our product, and your feedback will be considered for next year's version of NBA Live", but I will give this a shot anyway.

Like many, I have been a NBA Live fan for 10 years now, and like many I feel that EA has let me down this year with Live 07 (I recommend that you check this forum if you haven't already: http://www.nbaliveforums.com/forum63.php). A list of issues and bugs with this game has already been forwarded to you by the NBA Live fans community, but I thought it was important to remind you of some of them.

First, starting with EA's customer support website, you may have noticed by now that misleading advertising slipped through the cracks: by choosing PC as the platform, then NBA Live, then 07, it is possible to access the "new features" of this game, which include "signature shots". You know very well that there is no signature shots for the PC version of Live 07, so I suggest you pay more attention to the information provided on your websites.
Second, Live 07 is plagued with more bugs and problems than all previous versions combined. I knew it would not be as flamboyant and as technically advanced as its main competitor on xbox 360 (that you certainly know), but at least I was expecting it to be stable and bug-free, which is not the case. PC is certainly the least of your worries right now, but I believe that you still owe your loyal PC fanbase a patch that would fix the major issues with Live 07, such as no fatigue effect/no substitution for CPU, extreme dominance of the point guard, unrealistic ball distribution, sudden crashes to desktop or frozen moves, controller malfunctions...The list is long and has already been sent to EA, along with more than 300 signatures.

And before you send me the usual answer (if you do), YES i have the latest drivers for each of my components, YES my controller is working fine and always has with previous NBA Lives, YES i have the latest DirectX , and to sum it up, NO none of these issues are related to my PC in any way, IT'S IN THE GAME (sounds familiar?).

Like many PC gamers, I feel betrayed by EA this year, and seeing the awful reviews for NBA Live 07 on ALL platforms (and the huge fall of your stock value), it's obvious that we were not taken seriously and were just considered as a potential $40 or $50.
I'm part of a community that helped EA to be where it is today, so now it's your turn to do something for us.
Thank you,
Guillaume"

I guess nothing new then, they're supposed to be working on a patch but we'll see if it's released before Xmas...

by **Voxel** on Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:33 am

at least they started copy/pasting an apology rather than the famous "we are greatful for the feedback and it will be considered for next years version".

by **Villalona** on Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:48 am

el badman wrote:And before you send me the usual answer (if you do), YES i have the latest drivers for each of my components, YES my controller is working fine and always has with previous NBA Lives, YES i have the latest DirectX , and to sum it up, NO none of these issues are related to my PC in any way, IT'S IN THE GAME (sounds familiar?).

hhhahahahahhahahhhaha
ahahahhahahahahhahaa

Thats a classic. That quote should go in the hall of fame of all quotes. OMG

LMAO

ahahhahahahhahahahahahah

by **Matt** on Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:52 am

yeah that was great

by **joejam999** on Fri Oct 06, 2006 4:30 am

Do you guys know why all the tech emails sound the same? lol its because your talking to some guy in India that doesnt speak very good english and his name is probly "Brandon":lol: He is probly just selecting responses that correspond to what your asking, controller ect.

by **hereschenes** on Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:56 am

Please understand that appropriate teams are already looking into the issue and hopefully a patch will be released soon. We are very sorry for any inconvenience.
Again, I am truly sorry for the inconvenience, please be assured that we are doing our best to solve your issue as soon as possible.

Surely that's an encouraging sign? Doesn't sound like the usual cookie-cutter reply to me. Would be great to hear an official progress report though.

by **ProID** on Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:17 pm

ajsimpson wrote:
brojaf wrote:I am having trouble understanding current gen and next gen. I thought that just referred to the consoles. Are you guys trying to tell me that the xbox 360 and PS are more powerful than the PC. I would think that a PC would be a next gen as it is constantly evolving and becoming more technologically advanced even as I type.

actually consoles became more technologically advanced than PC's quite long ago, XBOX started it, and then came PS2. Those console procesors are more powerfull, and video cards are true monsters...

I have a bridge in brooklyn I want to sell you.

by **BIG GREEN** on Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:24 pm

ajsimpson wrote:
brojaf wrote:I am having trouble understanding current gen and next gen. I thought that just referred to the consoles. Are you guys trying to tell me that the xbox 360 and PS are more powerful than the PC. I would think that a PC would be a next gen as it is constantly evolving and becoming more technologically advanced even as I type.

actually consoles became more technologically advanced than PC's quite long ago, XBOX started it, and then came PS2. Those console procesors are more powerfull, and video cards are true monsters...

LOL...what a moron. That is the most ignorant shit i've read on these forums for quite a while. Points to you.